Advanced Drilling Practices
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Program Professional Framework
Advanced Drilling Practices
Program Overview
Drilling complex wells safely and economically requires engineers who can integrate well design, fluids, hydraulics and well control into sound operational decisions. This course strengthens the engineering behind everyday drilling choices: casing seat selection and casing load design, drilling fluid selection and maintenance, hydraulics and nozzle optimisation, surge and swab calculations, kick prevention and shut-in procedures, directional considerations, and planning for lost circulation and stuck pipe. Worked calculations and well examples from carbonate and clastic sequences typical of Gulf fields connect theory with rig-site practice.
Learning Outcomes
- ✓Select casing setting depths and perform burst, collapse and tension checks for a well design.
- ✓Choose a drilling fluid system and define property targets for each hole section.
- ✓Optimise bit hydraulics and nozzle selection using hydraulic horsepower or impact force criteria.
- ✓Calculate surge and swab pressures and set safe tripping speeds.
- ✓Apply kick detection indicators and shut-in procedures and calculate kill mud weight.
- ✓Prepare contingency plans for lost circulation and differential sticking in depleted zones.
Target Audience
- Drilling engineers
- Drilling supervisors and toolpushers
- Well planners and technical support engineers
- Mud engineers and service company engineers
Detailed Program Modules
01Well Design Principles
- Pore pressure, fracture gradient and casing seat selection
- Casing load cases: burst, collapse and tension
- Wellhead and casing string configuration
02Drilling Fluids Engineering
- Water-based, oil-based and high-performance systems
- Rheology, density and filtration control
- Solids control and fluid maintenance
03Drilling Hydraulics
- Pressure losses and ECD calculation
- Bit hydraulics and nozzle optimisation
- Surge and swab pressures and tripping speeds
04Well Control Practices
- Causes and warning signs of kicks
- Shut-in procedures and kill methods
- Kill mud weight and kill sheet calculations
05Directional Drilling Considerations
- Trajectory types and survey fundamentals
- Torque and drag in deviated wells
- Hole cleaning in high-angle sections
06Managing Hole Problems
- Lost circulation prevention and treatment
- Differential and mechanical sticking
- Wellbore instability in shales and carbonates
Training Methodology
Applied Project & Assessment
Applied Project
Participants complete an engineering package for a development well: casing seat and load checks, a mud programme by section, a hydraulics and nozzle plan, surge and swab limits, a kill sheet and contingency plans for the main hole problems expected.
Assessment
Short diagnostic at the start, practical tasks linked to each learning outcome, and evaluation of the applied project against published criteria.
University Certificate & International Accreditation
Professional Certificate accredited by Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) in Advanced Drilling Practices
International accreditation: European Health and Safety Agency (EHSA)